Course

Project Management Essentials

Faculty
Commerce & Business Administration
Department
Business
Course code
BUSN 3600
Credits
3.00
Semester length
15 Weeks
Max class size
35
Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Seminar
Course designation
None
Industry designation
None
Typically offered
To be determined

Overview

Course description
This course emphasizes the use of tools, techniques, and social components of project management to achieve a successful project outcome. The course uses a chronological approach to project management and explains initiating, planning, monitoring and controlling, executing, and closing projects. This course meets the educational hours requirement for various certifications from the Project Management Institute (PMI).
Course content
  1. Project management processes
  2. Selecting projects
  3. Organizational influence on projects
  4. Strategies for continuous value delivery
  5. The Project Management Framework
  6. Stakeholder engagement
  7. Integration management
  8. Scope management
  9. Schedule management
  10. Cost management
  11. Quality management
  12. Human resource management
  13. Communication management
  14. Risk management
  15. Procurement management
  16. Closing projects
  17. Selecting an appropriate methodology
Learning activities

Methods of instruction may include the following:
Lectures, case studies, exercises, group discussions, and guest lectures on industry-specific subjects.

Means of assessment

Assessment will be in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy.

Assignment(s)/Quizzes/Tests*   30% - 40%
Term Project   20% - 30%
Participation     5% - 10%
Final Examination   20% - 30%
           100%

 * A combination of quizzes and/or midterms, with no single assessment in this group worth more than 30% of the final grade.

Notes: 

  • At least 50% of the total coursework must be for individual work.
  • Students must achieve a grade of at least 50% on the combined exam components to pass the course.
  • To pass the course, students must achieve a cumulative grade of at least 50% in all non-group assessments as well as an overall grade in the course of 50% or more. In other words, students must have achieved at least 50% on their cumulative individual assessments in order to be eligible to earn marks from group work.
  • Students may conduct research as part of their course work in this class. Instructors for the course are responsible for ensuring that student research projects comply with College policies on ethical conduct for research involving humans, which can require obtaining Informed Consent from participants and getting the approval of the Douglas College Research Ethics Board prior to conducting the research.

 

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

  1. Identify and assess what constitutes a project.
  2. Describe the role of the project manager.
  3. Describe project management and discuss key elements of the project management framework.
  4. Apply good practices and use of appropriate tools to engage stakeholders, as well as manage teams and other related project management domains.
  5. Analyze the relationship between project, program, and portfolio management and the contribution they make to enterprise success.
  6. Describe typical activities for each phase of the project life cycle.
  7. Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of bringing value to all project management processes.
  8. Evaluate and assess various measures of determining project success.
  9. Perform basic tasks with project management software.
  10. Utilize interpersonal and leadership skills when working with stakeholders.
  11. Plan and manage a small project.
Textbook materials

Textbooks and Materials are to be purchased by students, and will be selected from the following list:

  • Gray, C.F. and Larson, E.W., Project Management: The managerial process, McGraw-Hill Irwin, Latest Edition.
  • Pinto, J. K., Project management: Achieving competitive advantage. Upper Saddle River, NJ, USA: Pearson/Prentice Hall, Latest Edition.
  • Gido, J. and Clements, J., Successful project management, Cengage Learning, Latest Edition.
  • Open textbook: Project Management by A. Watt.
  • Project Management Institute, A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). Latest Edition.
  • Instructor compiled materials (if applicable).

And/or any alternative textbook approved by the Business Management Department.


Requisites

Prerequisites

No prerequisite courses.

Corequisites

No corequisite courses.

Equivalencies

COBA 3200

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

(Current)

Course Transfers to Other Institutions

Below are current transfer agreements from Douglas College to other institutions for the current course guidelines only. For a full list of transfer details and archived courses, please see the BC Transfer Guide.

Institution Transfer details for BUSN 3600
Athabasca University (AU) AU MGSC 205 (3)
Capilano University (CAPU) CAPU BADM 318 (3)
College of the Rockies (COTR) COTR MGMT 2XX (3)
Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) No credit
Langara College (LANG) LANG BUSM 2XXX (3)
Simon Fraser University (SFU) SFU BUS 2XX (3)
Thompson Rivers University (TRU) TRU MNGT 3730 (3)
University Canada West (UCW) UCW BUSI 3XX (3)
University of Northern BC (UNBC) UNBC COMM 2XX (3)
University of Victoria (UVIC) UVIC COM 2XX (1.5)

Course Offerings

Fall 2025

CRN Days Instructor Status
Maximum seats
35
Currently enrolled
35
Remaining seats:
0
On waitlist
1
Building
Anvil Office Tower
Room
624
Times:
Start Time
12:30
-
End Time
15:20
Section notes

BUSN 3600 001 - This section is restricted to Business Management Diplomas, BBA Management, PDD Marketing, Bachelor of Science in Health Information Management, PDD Project Management, PDD Business Law, PBD International Supply Chain Mgmt, PBD Advanced Supply Chain Mgmt, PDD Supply Chain Mgmt, PBD Health Information Management, PDD Information & Communication Technology, and PDD Data Analytics until Friday, July 11, 2025, at 2 pm.

BUSN 3600 is equivalent to COBA 3200. Students whose program requires them to take COBA 3200 should take BUSN 3600. Students who have taken COBA 3200 may not take BUSN 3600 for credit.

CRN Days Instructor Status
Maximum seats
35
Currently enrolled
25
Remaining seats:
10
On waitlist
0
Building
Anvil Office Tower
Room
624
Times:
Start Time
8:30
-
End Time
11:20
Section notes

BUSN 3600 003 - This section is restricted to Business Management Diplomas, BBA Management, PDD Marketing, Bachelor of Science in Health Information Management, PDD Project Management, PDD Business Law, PBD International Supply Chain Mgmt, PBD Advanced Supply Chain Mgmt, PDD Supply Chain Mgmt, PBD Health Information Management, PDD Information & Communication Technology, and PDD Data Analytics until Friday, July 11, 2025, at 2 pm.

BUSN 3600 is equivalent to COBA 3200. Students whose program requires them to take COBA 3200 should take BUSN 3600. Students who have taken COBA 3200 may not take BUSN 3600 for credit.